On Wednesday, 20 January 2021, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved Nigeria’s ratification of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty).
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, announced this while briefing journalists at the State House after the first cabinet meeting of the year presided by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Alhaji Nanono revealed the ratification of the Plant Treaty would advance and enhance Nigeria’s agricultural resource base. He acknowledged that although Nigeria signed the Plant Treaty on 10 June 2002, the FEC only approved its ratification two decades after, paving the country’s path to becoming a full member of the Treaty.
The objectives of this Treaty are the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, for sustainable agriculture and food security. (Article 1, Plant Treaty.)
The Plant Treaty was adopted by the Thirty-First Session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations on 3 November 2001. It entered into force on 29 June 2004. As of 20 November 2020, the Plant Treaty had 148 Contracting Parties including one member organisation.
See Flora IP’s interviews with the Secretary of the Plant Treaty, Mr Kent Nnadozie.
